Peckspecting
by JadeSelena
Summary: How does a Peck react when she finds out she's Peckspecting? Peckstein futurefic, AU Not angst! Mostly.


**Hello!**

**So the season is over as is my patience with this show; sadly this will probably be my last RB story. Be forewarned, it serves no actual purpose other than I wanted to do something less angsty than God Help Her (which isn't hard) and this idea had been kicking around in my head since the 'peckspectations' episode. Translation: this is (my version of) fluff lol**

**So, it's a futurefic, established Dov/Gail, AU from the confession because I didn't feel like dealing with all the crap that came after.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters nor do I want them the way they are currently.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

Dov let himself into the loft, a tad leery after Traci's cryptic call telling him he needed to get home. There was no sign of _her_, though; only his girlfriend on the couch with her legs pulled up and her chin resting on her knees. A stance he knew well… "Hey – what's wro…"

The object she'd thrown exploding against the wall made Gail flinch but she stood up to stand her ground.

"_Uh_…" Tossing his coat on the rack Dov glanced over his shoulder at the point of impact then back to her. "I'm guessing a kiss 'hello' is out of the question?"

"Don't get cute with me, Epstein," she growled, arms folded over her chest. "You're lucky I wasn't _aiming_ for your head."

Apparently Traci had forgotten to mention the part where he'd be entering _at his own risk_… "That's a little excessive, don't you think? I went to the Penny with the guys." And he'd only done _that _because she'd blown him off last minute to hang out with said forgetful friend… "It's not like we went to Gilly's…"

_Seriously?_ "You're such an idiot…" One: like she'd care if he went to a strip joint and _two_: he hadn't even checked to see what she'd almost decapitated him _with_…

Following her pointed (and fiery) gaze Dov crouched to gather the plastic pieces from the floor and set to reassembling them; looked up at her with wide eyes when realization hit. "Are you…"

"_No_," she cut in before he could say the cursed word, "I was just experimenting with some new projectile weapons…"

He ignored the sarcasm to examine the stick in his hand. There was no plus sign – just two non-intersecting lines – but he could guess what they meant from her (supposed) reaction.

Gail watched him shuffle over to the wall calendar; blew out an annoyed, "Dov, what are you _doing_?" Did he think there was magically going to be an 'X' on the conception date or something?

Flipping through the pages he forced a casual shrug. "Making sure I didn't fall asleep for two months and wake up in April…"

It took her a second to pick up his meaning, her irritation (partially) dissipating as she did. "Do you really think I would joke about something like this?" Not only because of how serious it was but because getting his hopes up only to dash them would be of a level of cruelty even _she_ wasn't capable.

Dov didn't think she _would_, no, but he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the alternative. "Why'd you do it without me?"

Gail lifted a mocking eyebrow. "I'm not sure you understand _quite_ how this works…"

"Why didn't you wait for me to take the test?" he clarified, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice.

It hadn't even occurred to her that she _should_, though he obviously would have expected her to… "Why? Did you want to hold my hand while I peed on a stick?"

"_Gail_…" She couldn't be _that_ clueless.

Dropping the act she dropped her arms to her sides. "It's not like I was _planning_ on taking it…" She hadn't even considered the _possibility_, any changes to her system quickly attributed to the ubiquitous pressure. "But today when I joked to Traci about Chris' cologne making me have to upchuck she went all Mama Nash on me, asking all sorts of questions. Wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." Forget EPT – that woman was like a baby dowsing rod.

It hadn't really registered until that instant that Traci had known before him; Dov hadn't thought it possible but he felt even _more_ cheated.

Gail didn't fully understand _why_ it was such a big deal but she definitely understood the crushed expression on his face… Powerless to change it she distracted him with a wry, "I don't know what kind of girl he's looking to attract with that bug repellent, by the way, but you should probably give him a friendly heads up…"

"Be nice," Dov automatically chastised. The guy (understandably) had a hard time with them being together; the least they could do was be considerate about it.

"I _am_ being nice…" Now that he wasn't doing his impression of a kicked puppy she could get back to the matter at hand: "I haven't killed you yet, have I?"

How quickly she'd switched gears from passive back to aggressive made Dov blink. "How is this _my_ fault?"

The mocking eyebrow made another appearance. "Do I need to draw you a picture?"

"Do you want to scar me for life with your stick-figure Biology 101?" he snarked right back.

Gail narrowed her eyes; scathingly reminded him, "This was _your_ plan, not mine." _So_ not her plan; not for another couple of years yet, if _ever_…

"And what? You think I was able to just _will_ it so?" Either baby brain had already kicked in or she was being deliberately unreasonable; Dov's money was on the latter… "_You're _the one who's supposed to be on the pill…"

Oh, no, he _didn't_… Head tilted dangerously she demanded, "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Dov would be lying if he said she wasn't just a _mite_ scary – hands on her hips and fire in her eyes – but he refused to let her railroad him. "It means you aren't exactly religious about it. How many times have I seen you take two or three at a time?"

"I _know_ you aren't implying I did it on purpose…" So she was busy and forgot sometimes – she still _took_ them.

He wouldn't rule it out – that she'd subconsciously done something she couldn't bring herself to _choose_ to do – but he was smart enough not to suggest it aloud. "All I'm saying is what's done is done and there's no point in playing the blame game." Even though the blame was _totally_ hers…

Playing the blame game was the only thing Gail _could _do right then, everything else frustratingly (and _depressingly_) outside her control_…_ Blinking back tears she moved to the couch and retook her earlier position, deflated.

The lack of argument worried Dov more than the 'fighting' did, her silent contemplation making his mind race, and he forced himself to ask, "Are you thinking of not having it?" As much as he would hate it (and try to convince her otherwise) it was ultimately her decision. What that would mean for _them_ he didn't even want to consider.

Gail couldn't say the possibility hadn't crossed her mind – with it the rationalization that he would never even have to _know_ – but whoever's fault it was it definitely wasn't the kid's; she couldn't punish them both just because it didn't fit into _her_ grand scheme… "_What's done is done_," she parroted morosely.

Dov's relief was tempered by _her_ obvious misery. Sitting next to her he gave her a minute before nudging her shoulder with his own. "You're kinda harshing my mellow here, sunshine…"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before refocusing on the wall. "You're allowed to be happy, Dov."

It was uncharacteristically gracious of her and he waited for the other shoe to drop.

"It's not _your_ career that's going to have to be put on hold for god knows how long." And just when she'd finally decided where she wanted it to _go_, besides…

And there it was. Dov didn't think she was _trying_ to make him feel guilty but there _that _was, too… "I would do it for you if I could," he offered uselessly. "Alas, I don't have the right bits."

Coming from anyone else it would be an empty gesture; he was such a loser he probably even _meant_ it… "I wouldn't mention your bits if I were you – I'm still deciding whether or not you get to _keep_ them."

He turned sideways, settling an arm across the couch behind her, and leaned forward to whisper a cheeky, "Oh, you know you love my bits…"

She shot him her most unimpressed look before letting her head fall back against his bicep and closing her eyes, already hearing the recriminations: _'I swear you do these things just to spite me, Gail. Well, I hope it's worth it, your future going up in smoke…'_ Or maybe, '_Don't you think it's a little irresponsible, Gail? How do you think you're going to care for another life when you've yet to get your own in order?_' Squeezing her lids shut she moaned, "She's going to _flip_…"

There was only one person – 'she' or otherwise – whose reaction could produce that note of fear in her voice. "She was younger than you when she started a family…"

It had nothing to do with age; it was about _positioning._ "She was already _set_: she'd snagged herself the SSG and ingratiated herself to the Inspector." 'Starting a family' had doubtlessly been her way of ensuring she _stayed_ set… "I've got _you_ – half a step above Okie – and the only reason the Inspector even _likes_ me is because he's morally obligated…" That she was one gigantic leap closer to fulfilling her mother's doomsday prophesy hadn't escaped Gail's notice…

Dov hated that she probably _could_ be happy if not for Elaine's voice constantly echoing in her head; had learned a long time ago that there was nothing he could do to silence it. "Tell you what…" He angled her face towards him; waited for her to open her eyes and meet his gaze. "I'll deal with the Superintendent if _you_ handle the Inspector…"

Gail saw right through the ostensibly selfless proposition. "You're such a sissy," she half-heartedly chided, taking his hand from her chin to intertwine their fingers and rest them on his leg. "My dad's a big teddy bear."

A big _overprotective _teddy bear with sharp-ass claws in the form of an extensive weapons collection and the power of an entire division behind him… "He hated me when I was just the guy shacking up with his only daughter; imagine when he finds out I _knocked_ her up…"

"_True_." Her dad didn't _actively_ hate him – more a general 'no one is good enough for my baby girl' _disdain_ – but it amounted to the same thing: "He might kill you _just_ for destroying the fantasy that I'm still pure and undefiled…"

"I was hoping for a stern lecture with maybe some veiled threats," Dov revealed, mouth dry, "but thanks for the reality check…" He really should have known better than to expect reassurance.

Patting his cheek with her free hand Gail helpfully recommended, "Just don't follow him into the basement if he offers to show you the arsenal…"

Rationally Dov knew she was kidding (the guns were actually in the den, for easy access) but his brain apparently wasn't communicating the fact to his body, his pulse speeding up dramatically. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack so neither of you _has _to kill me?"

_Aw._ She would feel bad for messing with him if it wasn't the only thing keeping her sane at the moment. "We could just _not_ tell them," she proposed, shifting to put her head on his shoulder and her bent legs in his lap. "Disappear to some Podunk town and take over their police force." A sheriff's job was mostly administrative; all the power with a fraction of the risk… "If I still like you by then I'll even let you be my 2IC."

How _generous_ of her… "As _tempting_ as the prospect of life as your minion is I couldn't do that to my mom…" Bringing his arm down around her he breathed, "She's gonna be _ecstatic_."

With all the worrying about her own mom Gail hadn't even thought about _his_, and she suspected he was hoping a baby would fill some of the void Adam had left. "She _better_ be ecstatic: who do you think the kid's getting shipped off to whenever it gets on my nerves?" She would just forget that the woman was overly-indulgent and maybe a little unhinged…

Dov rolled his eyes, thinking how often she threatened him with the same thing. "What about _your_ mom?" he taunted, taking the opportunity for a little revenge. "She's _surprisingly_ good with children…"

If he weren't the father of her unborn child that comment (especially now that he knew better) would have warranted immediate execution. She settled for a none-too-gentle slap to his chest and a terse, "That's not _funny_…"

"Come on…" Pressing a pacifying kiss into her hair he reasoned, "She can't be all bad; you turned out _awesome…_"

Gail didn't _feel _awesome; she felt hopeless and scared and _doomed…_ "What if I'm just like her?" She didn't want to be. _God_, she didn't want to be. She didn't want to fool herself into thinking good intentions were _enough_ or that the end justified the means; didn't want to have to pretend she was oblivious to the fact that her children hated her just as much as they loved her.

Dov heard the crack in her voice and knew she was certain she _would _be. "You _aren't_ like her; I've seen you be a hundred times more maternal with complete strangers than I've _ever_ seen her be with you."

Elaine wasn't _supposed_ to be maternal with her; behavior like that towards an adult (like his mother towards _him_) was just creepy bordering on inappropriate. As for _her_… "Compassion is part of the job – I can fake it when I have to." There were a lot of things she had to fake for the sake of the job.

"Really?" He couldn't tell if it was an act or she really _was_ that delusional… "So you _don't_ have an open file on Tomas?"

Gail blinked at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Two seconds too late she realized a simple 'who?' probably would have been more convincing.

Sometimes she was so transparent it was embarrassing… "No? That's strange 'cause _someone_…" Untangling his hand from hers he tapped her nose. "…flagged him and his parents in the system and I'm pretty sure it wasn't Gregor…"

_Smartass._ If he knew they were flagged then he _knew_ they were flagged directly to her. "I was being _thorough_," she huffed, batting him away. "I couldn't give Jerry a hard time about it and then just let it go…"

The shady rationalization told Dov how right he was, the action how uncomfortable it _made_ her, and he snagged her flailing hand out of the air. "You caring enough to give Jerry a hard time is _exactly_ why I'm not worried." The glimpse of those layers – the subtle donning of the protector mantle while maintaining the essence of _her_ with the blatant manipulation – just might have been what had sent him from complicatedly smitten to completely _screwed_… Brushing his lips across her wrist he added throatily, "Not to mention it was hot as _hell_."

Gail rolled her eyes. "You think _everything _is hot." Unfortunately it was easier to downplay his comment than the shiver his combined touch and tone had sent running through her body…

"Only everything to do with _you_," he promptly corrected, moving up to her palm. It was probably wrong that there was nothing _hotter_ to him than the thought of that perfect little blend of them growing inside her.

Normally Gail would totally be up for whatever naughtiness that look in his eye foretold but 'sexy fun times' were the very _last _thing on her to-do list at the moment. Before he could rearrange her priorities she reclaimed her hand and snapped her fingers in his face. "_Anyways_… I was just trying to make a collar."

Dov blinked and refocused; resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her _still_ trying to deny it. "Sell it to someone who _doesn't_ know you, princess." Someone who hadn't been there to witness her weary relief when it _didn't_ end in a collar… "You like to think you're untouchable – you've got this superior attitude and all these walls to separate yourself from us mere mortals and our annoying feelings – but you've got a _major_ Achilles' heel…"

Seriously? All that _just_ to say she had a soft spot? She didn't know if the verbosity was him trying to prove how well he (thought he) knew her or because he was afraid her self-image would implode if he called her on it outright… "Even the gods slummed it with the humans when they had nothing better to do," she dismissed, lifting a pert eyebrow. "You're just lucky I'm bored a lot."

Declining to take the bait she'd so _kindly_ set out for him Dov swept her hair back to hook it behind her ear. "The way you refused to give up on Tomas even after Jerry – and _Elaine_ – told you to let it go?" They both knew the salient part of that sentence. "_That's_ what's going to make you a great mom."

The 'M' word had Gail inwardly flinching. Reclaiming her pillow she quietly disputed, "You don't _know_ that." She wasn't _so_ blind that she didn't recognize she had a weakness for kids in trouble; she was more concerned she had an innate predisposition to demand nothing less than absolute perfection from her _own_.

Dov knew he could argue it for hours and it still wouldn't penetrate her thick skull. "Fine," he murmured against her forehead, "then we promise each other right now that we won't become our parents."

Intentional or not, the phrasing made Gail realize that just because it was _his _plan didn't mean he wasn't scared, too. "Your parents are good people, Dov…"

"They just weren't good _together_," he finished for her. And as sure as he was that the difficult blonde was 'it' for him (and him for her [most of the time]) the stakes had just become infinitely higher if he was wrong.

That hadn't been what she was going to say but it just went to show how _epically_ she failed at the whole comfort thing… "You were so sure we'd be 'good together' you stalked me until I finally gave in…" Playing to her strengths she sat up and gave him her most unyielding look. "You're not allowed getting cold feet on me now." _Especially _not now…

He hadn't _stalked_ her, per se; he just hadn't let her run away from him and his feelings… Banishing the doubts to the back of his mind he took the opening she'd given him. "_Speaking_ of cold feet…"

Gail saw the calculating glint in his eyes and could have kicked herself for her choice of words. "Dov, _no._"

"_Yes,_" he quickly countered, taking hold of her arm so she couldn't flee.

"How do you go from 'we're not going to make it' to 'let's make it _official'_ in less than thirty seconds?" He had to be the most idealistic cynic (jaded romantic?) she'd ever met…

Dov shook his head. "I never said I don't want to marry you." Considering he'd (unwittingly) made his intentions known with a drugged pseudo-proposal (while she was dating his best friend, no less) he didn't really think that had ever been up for debate. _Her_ intentions on the other hand… "Now you _can't_ say no."

"What is this?" she scoffed, "The turn of the _last _century?" She had a hard enough time trying to be a (somewhat) sufficient girlfriend without the added pressure of it being for forever. And now that she was going to have to figure out how to be someone's mom there was definitely no room left on her plate for figuring out how to be someone's _wife_… "If Leo can survive being a bastard child so can this one. Our kid's gonna be so much more badass."

_No doubt._ One argument shot down he tried, "But if you don't marry me your dad really _will _kill me."

Her dad was old school but not _that _old school… "I think you underestimate his need for the Peck name to live on." It was important to her mother, too, but Gail's success (or lack thereof) took precedence with the matriarch. "And seeing as Steve procreating is about as likely as Andy going a month without being put in mortal danger that just leaves me."

Dov's brow furrowed. "You want to give the baby _your_ name?" He suspected she was just trying to change the subject but had to make sure.

"_Duh_ – it's not like having _your_ name is going to get it anywhere…" She took pity on him when his face fell; ran her thumb over his pouting lip to straighten it. "I'm kidding. Your name may be hideous but mine comes with too much baggage; no way I'm saddling my kid with it." Even _if_ the thought of letting the family down made her skin crawl…

_Nope – not worried at all._ "Why, Miss Thang…" He pilfered her hand to hold it against his cheek. "…that's almost _wise_ of you."

Gail rewarded his condescension with an offhand, "Besides, if it has your name no one will know it has generations of Peck policing behind it. Its pedigree will be a secret weapon…" Mimicking a gun with her free hand she made the sound of a sniper rifle. "_Pew_."

"I don't know what's scarier," Dov chuckled, pulling her to lie against him. "That you've already figured out how to work it to the kid's advantage or that you just out-eviled your mother…"

"It's not evil, it's _smart_." Elaine may have known how to manipulate the system but Gail didn't want her kid becoming a victim _of_ it, treated differently because it supposedly had it made.

The two weren't mutually exclusive but Dov let it go for a more pressing issue: "So who do you want to tell first?"

Well, that was a trick question, and not only because she didn't really _want_ to tell anyone… "Who do I _want_ to tell first or who do I think we _should _tell first?"

He'd meant of their parents but the shamed groan told him she had someone else in mind… "Chris?"

She gave a slight nod. "But Traci says we should wait a while so it'll give us some time to figure out how to break it to him." She was tempted to make it Dov's task just to save herself the grief but Chris deserved better. Not to mention she knew how to handle him _without_ getting punched…

The only reason Dov could see for Traci to say that… "She thinks something's going to happen?"

Gail shrugged, best she could in her position. "Apparently the first trimester is iffy."

"Especially for _cops_…" He didn't think he needed to point out that the stress and physicality were _why_.

His grip had tightened almost imperceptibly, alerting her to his train of thought. "Dov, _don't_; if you even _suggest_ desk duty you're going to be spending the night at your mother's." Bad enough she was going to have to start seeing a doctor on a regular basis. She _loathed _doctors…

"Fine…" Dov knew that was one concession she wouldn't make lightly. "Then I'll just lovingly wrap you in bubble paper before every shift."

Gail didn't doubt he _would_ if she let him… "_Yeah – _watch me intimidate the bad guys all trussed up like a PC china doll."

Some of those things _were _downright frightening but she still won hands down. "You could intimidate the bad guys in a Barney costume," he nimbly placated.

Thank god that stupid show wasn't on anymore – Gail didn't think her sanity would survive having to watch it… Lifting her head she gave him a look of utter indifference. "You really think flattery is gonna get me to give in?"

"I think appealing to your ego is the only chance I've _got_." He tilted her face upwards with a finger under her chin. "_And_ it's the truth."

_Suck-up. _"If this is some 'purple dinosaur' fetish you've suddenly got going on you can count me out," she teased, holding his eyes. "That's just _creepy_…"

Dov pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I'm just trying to protect my family, Gail." No matter what she said he was pretty sure if she lost the baby she'd never forgive herself.

And people thought _she _was manipulative… "You know I'm too conceited to let something happen to me, right? Seeing as the parasite is along for the ride it's safe…" Running her fingers across his chest she deadpanned, "When it's born it's on its own, though."

"Just because you haven't gotten hurt on the job yet doesn't mean you _won't_," he argued, refusing to let her joke her way out of it. "And let's just say you _are_ invincible – because I know you _will_ – the 'parasite' doesn't share that indestructibility."

Gail's jaw clenched. "Dov, _drop it_." If he was going to spend the next nineteen years second-guessing every decision she made they were going to have some serious problems.

Accepting that desk duty was a concession she wouldn't be making any time _soon _he put a hand on her stomach and bargained, "Only if you let me see it…"

Did he think it was some sort of negotiation? "It doesn't look any different than it did this morning, Dov." She knew 'cause she'd spent a good twenty minutes studying her reflection in the mirror.

"But now I _know_ there's something in there…" He blew out a frustrated sigh when his attempt to ease her backwards was thwarted by her propping herself up on her elbows. "Can you just humor me for once?"

Gail schooled her features into a perfect mask of boredom. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"_Ouch_." Shifting her legs Dov knelt between them to hover over her. "Good thing I know you love me…"

"You sure about that?" she baited with a nip to his jaw. Pulling back she noticed the stick still clutched in his left hand and softened a little. "Dov, the result's not gonna change…"

He tracked the wave of her hand and was surprised to realize he was still holding the test. "I kinda wish you hadn't broken it," he confessed, depositing the pieces on the coffee table. "When we're going through the memory box we're going to have to explain to the poor kid why it was used as a weapon."

It was actually the third she'd taken (having sent Traci for backups when the first failed to produce the desired outcome) but she kept the information to herself. "I think it suits us…" Scooting up to the end of the couch she laid down and unbuttoned her jeans. "By the time the kid's old enough to appreciate keepsakes it's gonna be used to our special brand of crazy, _anyway_…"

She made a valid point… Taking over from there Dov tugged the denim over her hips to bare the pale flesh of her abdomen. "Hello, little one…"

"_Little one_?" Gail mocked, ignoring the beat her heart skipped.

"I can't keep calling it 'kid.'" Looking up at her he defended, "It's not a _goat_…" Though _she_ seemed more than happy to keep calling it 'it.'

"Just don't get used to _this_," she cautioned of the fingers fluttering over her skin. "The _kid_ isn't going to be coddled, even in the womb."

Dov gave her a knowing smirk before turning his attention back to her stomach. "Don't listen to mommy, kiddo; I guarantee as soon as the shock wears off she'll be the worst offender."

The easy conviction had Gail's eyes stinging. "Undermining me to the kid already, Epstein?" She had a feeling she was going to be blaming an awful lot on hormones in the foreseeable future…

"Don't worry," he patronized, hearing the huskiness in her voice, "we swear we won't tell anyone what a gigantic softie the great Gail Peck _really_ is…"

She ran her fingers through his hair; gave it a slight yank. "I hate you…"

"Love you, too." Placing a butterfly kiss to her belly he appended, "And _you_, little one."

How quickly he'd taken to it made Gail feel incredibly bereft in comparison. She consoled herself that if she fell short (_when _she fell short) he'd be there to pick up the slack.

The nails digging into his shoulder and the way she'd gone quiet told Dov she'd retreated to her thoughts. And that was never a good thing. For _anyone_… Crawling up beside her he propped his head in his hand. "You okay?"

Gail nodded – even though her insides had decided to imitate a pretzel – and gave his cheek a rough pat. "But you _really _need to stop turning my life upside-down…" It was becoming a nasty habit.

"Oh, I think it's worked out for us so far," he volunteered softly, appealing to the note of affection he heard behind the indictment. "And one of these days you're going to admit to it by marrying me." And then they'd have it all, just like he'd (sorta) predicted…

"Yeah: _no_." Shaking her head she advised, "Don't hold your breath on that one."

Dov smiled. "That's what you said about us being together…" _Don't hold your breath, Epstein – ain't gonna happen. _"And if memory serves…" He feigned a moment of reflection before cheerfully confirming, "Yup, I managed to wear you down _on that one_."

His enthusiasm might have been amusing if it _weren't_ the direct result of her shattered credibility… "That's not something to be proud of, _stalker_."

Yeah, it kinda _was_. Well, except for the 'stalker' part… "Come on…" Running his thumb over her bottom lip he wheedled, "You know you find my determination endearing. And _irresistible_…"

Swiping him away Gail sat up to gain some leverage. "Right now I find your gloating _annoying_ – does that count?"

He let her win the height battle because he was clearly winning the _war_; between the physical distance and biting deflection she might as well have been waving a white flag… "So you're saying I have something to gloat _about_…"

Gail rolled her eyes and started to pull her jeans back up. "Uh… _no_."

"Fine," he shrugged, splaying a hand across her abdomen to block her progress, "but if we're _not_ married your parents are gonna expect the baby to be a Peck. And we all know how good you are at telling _them_ no…"

"Ooh…" Turning back to him she narrowed her eyes. "That's just evil."

Not evil, _smart. _And also? Sadly true… "What can I say? I learned from the best…"

Gail's lips twitched unintentionally. "That's even _more_ evil…" She chose to believe he'd stumbled onto the save by accident because she _refused_ to believe she was that predictable.

He got up to sit behind her, a leg on either side, and put his mouth to her ear. "You keep talking but all I'm hearing is, 'Yes, Dov, I _will_ do you the dubious honor of being your wife.'"

"Then you need to get your hearing checked…" It came out fairly breathless, _light years_ away from the scorn she'd meant to convey. _Dammit._

Not even a token objection to 'dubious'? "Dogged Epstein charm: 2…" Using his free hand to clear her hair he drifted his lips over the sensitive spot on the back of her neck. "Iron Peck will: _0_."

"I never said yes," she pointed out, leaning into him despite herself.

Dov let out a gentle scoff. "If I let everything you _didn't_ say discourage me we wouldn't be here…" _Also_ sadly true.

Yeah, well, where they _were_ wasn't exactly a huge incentive for her to give in again… That didn't make him any less _right_ though so she redirected the focus with a dismissive, "Everything _I_ didn't say? This is, like, the third time you've asked me to marry you without ever _actually_ proposing, Romeo…"

That was because a romantic proposal was just as likely to get an eye roll (or gagging noises) from her as a swoon. Finally allowing his lips to graze her skin he offered, "I think it suits us…" Although now that he knew she was amenable he had the perfect official (non-gag-worthy) proposal in mind. And she would never even see it coming…

Gail let her eyes flutter shut with a sighed, "I hate it when you use my words against me." And that he was getting so damned _good _at it…

Game. Set. _Match_. Shifting the hand covering her stomach he let his fingers roam suggestively downwards. "So can we start celebrating or do you want to keep arguing for the sake of arguing?" Not that one precluded the other – verbal sparring always _had_ been their favorite type of foreplay…

"You really think I'm going to let you anywhere near me right now?" Even as she said it (_breathed_ it) Gail knew she so _was_, if not because there was reason to celebrate then because the back-and-forth had (unsurprisingly) gotten her super turned on. Lord help him if she was one of those women where pregnancy hyper-intensified their libido…

Only _she_ could say something like that while arching into him and offering up her ear… "Why not?" he whispered into it, "It's not like I can do any _more_ damage…"

Gail had to turn around to see if he looked even _half_ as pleased with himself as he sounded; found him giving her an impish grin. "You were saving that one, weren't you?" She was caught somewhere between wanting to smack him for the bad joke and wanting to take him then and there.

Dov moved his hands to her thighs as she climbed on top of him. "Well, I wasn't going to use it when there was still a chance you'd _kill_ me for it…" At the very least he wouldn't have gotten _this_ response earlier…

Grabbing his hair she forced his head back so his neck was bared to her. "And what makes you think you're safe _now_?"

If this was _unsafe _he'd be perfectly happy never to be safe again… Knowing she'd stop just to spite him if he called her on it he came up with a plausible alternative: "Uh… fear of being a single mother?"

_Hardly…_ "I wouldn't be single for long." If Traci could land a man with a kid in tow Gail didn't think she'd have any trouble. Still, it brought up the very real possibility that one day she might _have_ _to_… Chest tight with _that _fear she eased her grip to send tender fingers skimming over his cheek. "But I would only ever _want_ to do it with you…"

Dov swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me…" It was only a _slight_ exaggeration.

The reaction drove home how rarely she told him what he meant to her, and Gail made a mental note to be more open about her 'annoying' feelings. "Don't get used to it – it's just the hormones talking." Okay, so it was probably going to take a little work_…_

Like Dov hadn't seen _that_ excuse coming a mile away… "I could just _keep_ you knocked up," he suggested, moving a hand under her shirt to trace the skin at the edge of her bra cup. "Like a brood mare…"

_How flattering._ "The only way you're _keeping_ me knocked up, _stallion_, is if you figure out the secret to suspended animation." She had no intention of doing it more than the once.

Dov shook his head. "No one should be an only child; I'm thinking at least three…" That way if something happened to one the other two would still have each other.

Gail could take a pretty good guess at _why_ three was his magic number; the sharp pang of sympathy had her quietly compromising, "Can we see how badly I screw _this _one up first?"

While he was fairly certain nothing short of a glimpse into the future would ease her doubts that wouldn't ever stop Dov from _trying_. "I promise you that this kid…" 'And its future siblings,' he mentally threw in. "…is _lucky_ to have you for a mom."

Covering the hand that had reclaimed her stomach she gave him a wan smile. "I wish I could be so sure…" At this point she'd settle for 'not _unlucky._'

"I'm sure enough for both of us," Dov declared, lips forming a devious grin. "And just to show you _how_ sure I am of a repeat performance?"

_Uh-oh._ The mischievous twinkle told Gail she would either love or absolutely _hate_ where this was going…

Securing an arm around her waist he flipped their positions so she was lying on the couch beneath him. "I am willing to subject myself to _copious_ amounts of baby-making practice."

Gail chuckled; instinctively wrapped her legs around him. "How _altruistic_ of you…"

"You know me…" Careful not to crush her with his weight he bent to whisper in her ear, "…always ready to sacrifice for a worthy cause."

"In _that_ case," she conceded with a pleased sigh, distracted by him making his way down her neck, "who am I to stand in the way of your noble venture?"

Dov didn't think she'd meant anything by it but he pulled away all the same, meeting her hooded gaze. "You are _everything_ – to me _and_ this baby – and I want you to remember that." Because he knew faced with Elaine's disapproval she would be tempted to feel like _nothing_…

No matter how long they'd been together his little Lord Byron moments never failed to leave Gail speechless. Forcing her lungs to work again she exhaled, "_Yeah_ – no pressure there…"

"You'll handle it with poise and grace," he teased, satisfied that the message had registered on some level. "As _always_…"

_Bastard_… When he moved in to pick up where he'd left off she stopped him with a hand to his chest; bit her lip. "I do love you – you know that, right?"

He _did_, but he would still take advantage of her largesse while it lasted. "I feel like I'd know it _more _if you made some kind of symbolic gesture; say…" He tensed his abs in case she decided to punch in retaliation. "…you taking my name, _too_…" The manipulation wasn't _entirely_ selfish; he was also hoping it would be the push she needed to unsaddle herself of (at least _some of_) the Peck baggage.

Gail rolled her eyes – part affection, part _exasperation_ – and scoffed, "'Cause agreeing to marry you isn't gesture _enough_?" Give the boy an inch…

"Well, when you put it _that_ way…" he offered with an eye roll of his own, "…how can I _not _feel the love?"

Okay, so maybe she _had_ made it sound like he'd held her at gunpoint… Snaking the hand under his shirt she massaged the muscles there. "I don't do anything I don't want to do, Dov; you should know that by now." The obvious (unspoken) exception being the parentally-dictated, of course…

Even though he knew _that_, too, he voiced a mock-indignant, "So all the hell you put me through to get you to do something you _do _want to do? That's just for your own amusement?"

_Partly_, but it was more a matter of having spent so long being _told_ what she wanted that she still had a hard time accepting that what she did want hardly ever matched what she was _expected_ to… Those were thoughts best left unexplored, though, so she (overly) warmly justified, "If I made everything _easy_ you wouldn't have any reason to be 'endearingly' persistent…"

If the saccharine sweet tone hadn't tipped Dov off to the fact she was being facetious the air quotes would have. "Really? That's your story?"

"That's _our _story," Gail corrected smoothly, lifting her other hand to his neck. "And as much as I bitch – and I know I bitch _a lot_…" Drawing him into her she promised against his mouth, "…I wouldn't change a word of it." It wasn't quite 'you are my everything' but for her it was pretty damned close.

Dov savored the moment as he deepened the kiss; savored the bitter taste of coffee (of _her)_ on his tongue. Waited until she was most unfocused, a low mewling sound coming from the back of her throat, before pulling away to whisper, "But you _are_ going to change your name, right?"

Gail couldn't control the charmed laugh that escaped but she _could_ pinch the skin beneath her fingers. "You're pushing your luck, Epstein…"

"_Always_." It had worked out for him so far…

* * *

**So a little bit of angst but mostly happy, yes? I feel dirty now lol**


End file.
